SPRINGDALE -- Broc Berus scored three touchdowns and Shiloh Christian's defense forced three red-zone turnovers en route to a 36-7 win over Gentry at Champions Stadium on Friday.
Coach Jeff Conaway pulled the majority of his starters after Connor Reece's one-yard touchdown run with three minutes, 29 seconds remaining in the first quarter gave the Saints a 36-0 lead. Reece was 8-of-14 passing for 211 yards and a touchdown.
Grabbing a decisive early lead was a relief after Shiloh Christian (6-1, 3-1 4A-1) lost 45-15 against Prairie Grove a week ago.
"Our guys bounced back and had a good week of practice," Conaway said. "They showed a lot of poise and maturity and came out and played fast and physical in the first half. Very proud of them."
Berus, a senior starter at running back and linebacker, touched the ball just six times, but totaled 73 yards as he powered through Pioneers (2-5, 0-4) defenders with his 6-foot-1, 210-pound frame. He scored the game's first two touchdowns on runs of 6 and 12 yards and caught a 28-yard touchdown pass from Reece to make it 29-0 early in the second quarter.
"(Berus) played very physical on both sides of the football," Conaway said. "He's tough to tackle and he made a lot of tackles. It's good when No. 12 is out there making a lot of plays."
Jaret Russ also had six touches totaling 81 yards, including a seven-yard touchdown run to give the Saints a 22-0 lead in the first quarter. Reagan Neal caught two passes for 65 yards, including a 51-yarder that led to a touchdown.
It was the second time in three games that Shiloh Christian's first-team defense shutout an opponent in the first half, only to have the shutout bid end with a second-half score against its second-team defense.
Gentry junior quarterback Jon Faulkenberry split the defense on a 53-yard touchdown run on the third play of the second half. He was sacked three times (by Jace Herman, Cole Tutt and Andrew Osbourne) but still managed 110 yards on 13 carries.
"Faulkenberry's a special talent," said Shiloh Christian defensive coordinator Chris Berus. "When plays broke down, he went and made things happen and tackling him in the open field is tough."
Shiloh Christian forced three turnovers in the red zone, including two interceptions by Caleb Carr. He returned one for 71 yards to set up the Saints' final score.
Although keeping the first teamers on the field may have preserved a shutout, Chris Berus never even considered it.
"When you get the opportunity to play as many guys as you can on a Friday night, that experience is priceless," Berus said. "For those guys to get in and really do a fine job ... there's a lot of game film that you can go back and learn from and to have those kids on the field against good kids, it just makes you better."
CLASS 4A
SHILOH CHRISTIAN 36, GENTRY 7
Gentry^0^0^7^0^--^7
Shiloh Christian^22^14^0^0^--^36
First Quarter
Shiloh -- Berus 6 run (Russ run), 9:56
Shiloh -- Berus 12 run (Carter kick), 6:50
Shiloh -- Russ 7 run (Carter kick), 3:04
Second Quarter
Shiloh -- Berus 28 pass from Reece (Carter kick), 9:12
Shiloh -- Reece 1 run (Carter kick), 3:24
Third Quarter
Gent -- Faulkenberry 53 run (Matthews kick), 10:08
Sports on 10/19/2016